Research Papers

Research papers published by the Reference and Research Services of the Deutscher Bundestag

This page sets out the English summaries of the Research Papers published by the Reference and Research Services. A link from the end of the summary will take you to the complete research paper in German.

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OSZE - 30 years after Helsinki
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), as the successor to the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), is founded on the Helsinki Final Act (1975). Today, the OSCE has 55 member states with equal rights and status, which were members of different alliances during the Cold War. In thematic terms, the OSCE focusses on three dimensions: military and political issues, especially disarmament, economic cooperation, and democracy and human rights. Thirty years after Helsinki, the issue of the right balance between these dimensions is now being discussed and there is a concern that the OSCE could lose its focus and relevance. Proposals presented in the current reform debate include prioritizing core competencies, achieving better cooperation between the secretariat, the institutions and the missions, establishing a stronger political leadership level, and improving cooperation with the member states and other international organizations.
Topical Term of 01/05/2006
Interim Budget Management
Article 110 (2) of the Basic Law establishes the constitutional requirement that the budget be adopted by a law before the beginning of the year to which it applies. This requirement concerns all of the constitutional bodies involved. If the budget law is not adopted before the beginning of the financial year, the constitutional authorisation contained in Article 111 of the Basic Law applies. This deals with interim budget management, or emergency budget law. In order to ensure that all institutions affected by the federal budget proceed in the same way within the framework of interim budget management, the Federal Minister of Finance issues a budget management instruction (Haushaltsführungserlass) for the highest federal authorities under Section 5 of the Federal Budget Code. The constitutional authorisation for interim budget management under Article 111 of the Basic Law is subject to both time and substantive restrictions.
Topical Term of 12/20/2005
"Islam-Fascism"
The Topical Term aims to explore the factors determining the recent usage of the term "Islamic fascism", mainly in political journalism. It focusses especially on a catalogue of real or supposed ideological, social and activity-related similarities between European fascism in the first half of the 20th century and more recent manifestations of radical Islam, as presented by a variety of authors. It concludes by outlining some of the main objections to the use of the term. Above all, the fact that Islamism ? unlike fascism ? does not display any nationalist or racist features is, for many critics, adequate reason to reject the term "Islamic fascism" as factually inaccurate.
Topical Term of 12/16/2005
UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions
On 20 October 2005 the Unesco General Conference adopted the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, an international normative instrument that will enter into force three months after its ratification by 30 States. The Unesco Convention sets out common rules, principles and points of reference for cultural diversity at global level.
Topical Term of 12/07/2005
"Internet Governance"
The Topical Term examines the current debate about control of the Internet, often termed "Internet governance". It describes the role of the Internet Corporation for As-signed Names and Numbers (ICANN) which is responsible for the technical organiza-tion and management of the Internet. It also provides an overview of the debate about "Internet governance" in the context of the World Summit on the Internet Society.
Topical Term of 12/06/2005
Duration of electoral terms
The Basic Law provides for a four-year electoral term; a discussion is currently underway on increasing the duration of electoral terms to five years. The text examines the conditions to be met in order for the electoral term to be extended and the pros and cons of such a change and makes comparisons with the situation in the Federal Länder and with other EU Member States.
Topical Term of 12/05/2005
Global Democracy
Globalisation has led to an increasing shift of political decision-making to the international level. This has given rise to problems of political legitimacy, resulting in calls for an expansion of the principle of democracy from the nation-state to the system of global governance. While sceptics object that the societal and political conditions for this are not present, others even see an opportunity to establish a ?cosmopolitical democracy?. In many cases, however, the model of ?global democracy? is instead associated with specific proposals for reform of the United Nations, for example through greater involvement of civil society or the creation of a parliamentary assembly.
Topical Term of 12/05/2005
Regulation of the Internet - structures, tasks and working procedures of ICANN, DENIC, CENTR, CORE and ORSN
The study sets out the structures, tasks and working procedures of ICANN, DENIC, CENTR and CORE, the organisations responsible for domain registration. It also ex-plains the task of the ORSN, whose root servers ensure Internet domain names can be resolved. As regards ICANN, the current debate on control of the Internet, often summarised with the concept of ?Internet governance?, is highlighted. The study ex-plores the criticism expressed about ICANN, and the reforms to the organisation proposed at the World Summit on the Information Society.
Composition of 11/28/2005
Disturbance of the overall economic equilibrium
Topical Term No. 87/05 explains the concept of ?disturbance of the overall economic equilibrium? and sets out the constitutional conditions which must be fulfilled for it to be acceptable for net borrowing to exceed investment expenditure.
Topical Term of 11/28/2005
Protection against aircraft noise
This Topical Term deals with the main proposed amendments contained in the ? now outdated ? draft Act to Improve Protection Against Noise Around Aerodromes of 27 May 2005. In addition to examining the advantages and disadvantages of the passive anti-noise measures included in the bill, an overview is provided of further possible ways of reducing aircraft noise.
Topical Term of 11/22/2005
Women in government
Since the sixties, women have gradually been finding their way into top government positions. This trend began in the Asian states (Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Indira Gandhi), and, from the late seventies onwards, spread to the European states (e.g. Margaret Thatcher, Gro Harlem Brundtland). The phenomenon of the ?wives and daughters of Asia? is examined, together with that of the female heads of government in transition nations. A table lists current and former female heads of government across the world.
Topical Term of 11/21/2005
Ocean Energy
The oceans constitute an enormous reservoir of energy contained in the motions, temperature and salinity of their water bodies. If this ocean energy were usable for electricity generation, it could complement or even partially replace the energy sources in use at present. However, technical developments in many fields remain to be carried out before actual energy production can commence at commercial scale. Five different main types of ocean energy are distinguished: tidal energy, wave energy, marine current energy, ocean thermal energy, and osmotic energy. The present article summarizes their respective overall potential, the technical feasibility, economic aspects, possible environmental concerns, and the chances for realization at locations in Germany and Europe.
Factsheet of 11/10/2005 (26 pages)
Abstract of Topical Term 79/05
'Topical Term' No. 79/05 describes how, under German budgetary law, excess and extrabudgetary expenditure makes it possible for economic trends and unforeseen events to be taken into account in the budget, depite it being agreed a year in advance.
Topical Term of 10/21/2005
The idea of developing a parliamentary dimension of the United Nations, as acontribution to the debate on global governance and democracy
This publication sets out the current status of the debate and the various proposals relating to how the idea of developing a parliamentary dimension of the United Nations could be achieved, in order to extend the principle of democracy to international politics, too.
Factsheet of 07/04/2005 (32 pages)

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